When Light and Dark cross
by Tragic-Scythe
Summary: Matoba Seiji - the heir to the powerful Matoba family - is short tempered and extremely condescending to those below him on the social ladder. But when he one day meets Natori Takashi - a good natured boy from a powerful exorcist group who is his polar opposite - will his life be completely turned around or will he stick to his selfish way of living? Shounen ai - NatsumexMatoba
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi all, this is actually my first time writing fan fiction so I'm anxious to know if this piece is any good or not. I've decided to do a natsume x matoba - this pairing needs more love! I can kinda see why there's not that many stories since Matoba seems a bit evil and can be a complete twat, but i reckon if the two were friends they could both learn something from the other, since they're like light and dark, yin and yang. Also, Matoba seems the type to be really over protective (or is it possessive?), it would be scary to see Matoba's reaction if another exorcist tried to recruit Natsume. But enough twittering from me, read and enjoy~

Warning: Shounen ai (boy meets boy)

Rating: T

Disclaimers: I don't own Natsume Yuujinchou or any of its characters

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In a grand and lavish room fit only for the best of the best of society, at a deep mahogany and intricately carved table, depicting fire-breathing dragons and roaring lions, sat two men – one middle aged with short black hair and shadows under his grey eyes making him look older than he was and an aura of superiority around him garbed in fine clothes consisting of loose, black trousers made of silk and a handsome, navy coloured kimono. The other was much younger – around 19 – with long black hair tied loosely back with white ribbon and piercing black eyes wearing a dark grey kimono and black haori. As the two finished the lavish meals set in front of them the older man cleared his throat, drawing the younger's attention.

'We will be receiving a guest in a few days' time. He is from the countryside and will be visiting the city for the first time,' the older man announced, the younger simply narrowed his eyes.

'This is the first time I've heard of this, Father,' the younger replied. 'It's rare for you to accept guests, who is he to receive such treatment?'

'An important member of the Natori family, I'm sure you've heard of them, Seiji?'

'Natori – as in the exorcists?' His father nodded.

'Yes, they are quite an influential family in the court and are famous as the most powerful exorcists in the land,' Seiji mulled this over for a moment, looking down at the table.

'Then, this would be a chance to establish a connection with them and strengthen our position in the court,' Seiji said, more to himself than his father, and then looked back up to his father. 'But why would you need to do such a thing, as the head of the Matoba family surely you'd have no need for such a thing – especially one as tedious as looking after and entertaining an exorcist,' Matoba let out a sigh before explaining.

'It's always good to establish as many connections as possible – you'll never know when you will need them, it's always good to have a safety net. Many powerful families have fallen from grace because of scandals or have fallen out of the Lord's favour, and because they don't have a back-up plan they can't survive it and the family collapses. However, if I use this opportunity I can get close to the head of the Natori clan and maybe even form an alliance with him. You understand.'

'Yes.' Was Seiji's short, toneless reply, _basically you're just shoe licking and using other people as always – of course, I'm not naïve enough to believe that there's such a thing as real relationships when it comes to politics, all anyone cares about is power in the noble's silly little game – half the time I think it's only because they've got nothing better to do. Well, I guess it's better for me that way, I've never gotten along with other people anyway; I don't need to make friends, I can get on in the court with my own power. No matter what father always natters on about having to use other people to get somewhere in life – that's the same as admitting you're too weak to do it on your own. How pathetic. _Seiji was pulled out of his thoughts at his father's next words.

'I'll leave it up to you to ensure our guest enjoys his stay here, I'm sure you'll do your best to make sure he's happy and comfortable,' Seiji's eyes immediately widened, staring at his father in shock.

'What!? You expect _me _to entertain some old man just so you can get friendly with some family out in the country side,' Seiji spluttered, Matoba simply watched Seiji's reaction with mirth.

'It's seems you've misunderstood something, the Natori member isn't an old man – in fact I believe he's about the same age as you,' Seiji's eyes widened even further at this.

'But didn't you say he was an important and powerful member of the clan? How can he be so young?'

'I don't know. I was surprised as well when I heard this. Apparently he's some kind of child prodigy who was adopted by the Clan head – Natori Shuuichi – when he was visiting another country. Well according to the rumours anyway,' Matoba got up to leave before adding. 'I hope the two of you become _good friends_ by the end of his stay, enough to make them invite you to their manor anyway – don't fail me Seiji. Now, I have work to attend to. Goodnight.' And with that he left. Seiji sighed, if his father thought he was going to try and make friends with this so called 'child prodigy' then he had another thing coming. Seeing as how this boy was adopted it was obvious he wasn't from an upper class background so it wasn't as if this boy was better than him so it wouldn't matter how Seiji treated him – the boy should be grateful he'd come this far in society, even if he was just being used by Natori Shuuichi. Seiji had seen Natori on a few rare occasions at important social gatherings, the man had a lot of charm and charisma and used it to his advantage – wooing all the ladies and gaining the trust of many men, but Seiji was certain there was another side to that man, he saw in his eyes when he smiled something akin to that of a sly fox.

Seiji stood up, following his father's example to return to his room when a girl wearing a maid uniform suddenly crashed into him – spilling a pot of scalding hot tea all over Seiji's fine clothes. Seiji stood there for a few seconds in shocked silence as his anger built up to a boiling point. The maid let out a gasp and quickly apologised, bowing low multiple times.

'I'm terribly sorry! Please forgive me, young master!'

'Why, you!' Seiji roughly shoved the young girl over, looking down at her with eyes brimming with anger and disgust, glancing at the black collar around her neck, 'how dare slave filth like you do such a thing to me, do you really want to die that much!?' The girl whimpered and cowered away in fear.

'P-p-please forgive me! I-I'm new here, s-so …'

'Stop your blabbering, wench, you should consider yourself fortunate to be taken in by us and allowed to wear such clothing instead of the rags _your kind _usually wear' Seiji let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose, allowing his sudden rage to simmer down, 'I don't have the patience for this, it's just one thing after another today. I'll let you off the hook this time but…' He looked down at the girl with a bored glare, 'If something like this happens again, well, I'm sure you realise there will be consequences.' The slave was barely able to squeak a terrified reply before Seiji stormed out the room.

(A few days later)

Seiji was wandering around a path in the front grounds on a fine spring afternoon, admiring the cherry blossoms as they danced through the air on a slight breeze. _The Natori guest was supposed to arrive this morning but he has still to show up – does this person have no manners whatsoever? There's so much I could be doing right now instead of waiting around for some tardy guy whom I don't care about – I have a feeling I'm not going to get on well with this oh-so-important guest._ Seiji closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out again, trying to calm himself and clear his head of overly negative thoughts as he sensed a headache coming on. Upon hearing the soft pattering of rushed footsteps his eyes snapped open and he turned to face the runner, wary in case they had ill intentions – one could never be too careful about such things when in a position like his. As the stranger came into view, Seiji realised it was one of the household servants and relaxed his stance. The servant bent down on one knee when he reached Seiji, slightly out of breathe after searching around the whole house and grounds for the young man.

'Young master, the Natori guest has arrived. He should be with his carriage which is parked in front of the manor,' Seiji nodded and dismissed the servant who hurried back to the house to continue his duties. _Well, at last. I'm expecting an apology from this brat – how dare he make me wait._ Seiji walked back to the house at a leisurely pace, determined not to hurry and make this Natori guy wait for a while. After emerging from the garden path and arriving at the front of the manor Seiji was able to quickly locate the carriage and walked over to be met by the carriage driver.

'Ah, you must be Matoba Seiji-sama. My apologies, Natori-sama said he was going for a walk while he waited to be greeted. I believe he went over there,' the man pointed over to a second path on the other side of the gardens. Seiji clenched his fists into tight balls. _So he thinks he can send me on a wild goose chase and run along after him after he made me wait so long. So he got bored for waiting for a few minutes, while I was waiting for _over three hours _for this brat?_ Seiji strode to the path with determination to make the Natori member sorry for his rudeness and for making Seiji run after him like some kind of servant. After setting down the path, it took Seiji another three or four minutes before he found another person. A lone figure stood by a large pond, one hand resting on a large cherry blossom tree gazing across the calm surface of the water. Getting closer, Seiji could see the figure was wearing a beautiful light pink kimono with red, green and gold embroidery of flowers and leaves. _Who is it? Perhaps one of the Natori's female attendants? No, her clothing is too fancy for an attendant, perhaps she is also a member of the Natori family and travelled with the other – but wouldn't we have been informed of such a thing? _Unable to draw a conclusion from his speculations, Seiji decided to ask the lady directly. Approaching closer, Seiji called out.

'Excuse me? Do you have some business in here, my lady?' Seiji tried to give his best gentlemanly smile, but probably failed and looked like a wolf about to devour a sheep. The figure turned round with a pleasant smile on her face, and Seiji's heart missed a beat when he saw the beauty of her face. Her skin was a delicate pale white like the moon, her face a perfect oval, eyes golden and framed with long lashes and her hair a rare dusty blonde colour and, although short, it shone beautifully in the dappled sunlight and swayed slightly in the breeze. When she spoke it was like the singing of song birds, the chiming of a wind chime, the playing of a harp, something so lovely one could be content to listen to it all day.

'Yes, however I was drawn in by the beauty of this garden while I was waiting to be received. Are you perhaps the owner of this household?' The beauty asked. All Seiji was able to do for a few moments was stare into the other's eyes before snapping out of his reverie and realised she had asked a question.

'Huh?' Seiji, realising he had just made such an unintelligent and rude noise cleared his throat and answered the sandy haired woman's question. 'Oh, no. I am the Matoba family head's son and heir – Matoba Seiji – my apologies for greeting you late. But may I ask who you are? I was only informed of a male member of the Natori family visiting us, and speaking of which I haven't seen him yet – was he unable to come?

'Male?' The woman cocked her head to the side. 'But-' The lady was unable to finish her sentence when suddenly, out of nowhere, a girl wearing maid clothes frantically rushed over to the pair but as she was about to reach them she lost her footing and tripped over, knocking Seiji over and into the pond.

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Dun dun dun! Seiji's not going to be very happy about that, is he? I'd really really appreciate it if you could review, as I said before I want to know if my writing is any good or if it's complete poop and constructive criticism is extremely welcome - but be gentle, its my first time Love you all :), over and out!


	2. New Beginnings

Hi, it's me again! I'm so so _so_ sorry for the late update, I've been busy with exams so I've been trying to focus on them as much as possible but luckily my last one is next tuesday and then it's prom! So after that I'll be updating more frequently. Thank you so much for the reviews, they really make my day and give me the energy to write. I'm so happy that people actually like this story and want more! So I give all my love to those people and hope I can keep you entertained.

Moving on I realised I missed a few things out which may have confused people. This story is AU, set in a completely different world to the one in the canon (I can't believe I forgot to mention that). In this story Natsume has been adopted by the Natori's and is originally from a different continent to the one this story is set in but was brought over after Natori travelled there and met Natsume. The story is set in a world with mostly eastern elements (for example, the clothing) but has some western elements mixed in (e.g. the horse and carriage) and is quite old fashioned and traditional in our Matoba family has nothing to do with exorcising spirits but is one of the most powerful and wealthy families in the country. As I briefly mentioned in the last chap, the country is ruled by a Lord and the court Seiji mentioned is meant metaphorically, referring to a place where the Nobles play their power games but is also the place the Lord hosts his parties and where he receives visitors. The Nobles are the name given to the members of wealthy families in the country who basically shape politics in the country. The most powerful family heads are advisors to the Lord and help him make decisions, however the balance of power can vary as families fall in and out of favour in the court - this can be because they have fallen out with the Lord, their family's wealth or power has been lost or because their reputation has been tarnished - this is why Seiji's father is seen to be careful about their standing in the court as he is one of the Lord's advisers and one of the most powerful men in the country but this can suddenly change.

Another important point I forgot but a guest reviewer pointed it out (thank you), in this story youkai can be seen by people without any spiritual power and are used as slaves by the Nobles and traders and are badly treated as they are despised by humans. I was actually considering whether I should also introduce human slaves but after reading the guest review I decided not to, as it wouldn't be something I could see the Matoba family agreeing with.

I apologise if Matoba seems OOC, I've tried writing him as a little less cold to Natsume and more open to him as I couldn't write him being mean to Natsume - I would probably cry if I did that. I hope in the future Matoba can open up more to Natsume and vica-versa.

Well, enough of that, I hope the reviews and love keep coming as I greatly appreciate them. I feel guilty as I've only replied to 2 so I'll reply to the rest of them now. Please tell me if there's anything else that needs clarifying cus I miss them out really easily. Thank you and enjoy the story ~

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Seiji sat there for a few moments in shocked silence, trying to register what had just happened. Seiji slowly got to his feet, his whole body trembling in anger and waves of rage emitting from him.

'You…you!' Seiji took a shaky step forward, raising his head with widened eyes full of anger, recognising the face of the human-like youkai slave in front of him. 'So one time wasn't enough was it, even after the warning I gave you? I'll make sure you receive a beating you'll never forget you insolent cur!' Seiji heard a giggle from his left and snapped his head round to see the woman trying to laugh discreetly behind her hand, she noticed his staring and tried her best to hold it in.

'S-sorry. I can't help it,' finally giving up her futile attempts she let out a loud laugh, tears coming to her eyes as she saw Seiji's sodden form and gripped her stomach. 'It's just too funny!' Forgetting his gentlemanly façade, Seiji let out a low snarl: irritated, embarrassed and enraged. Unable to reign in his anger he turned the full force of his wrath onto the girl.

'To do such a thing to your master in front of a guest – giving you a quick death would be too good a punishment for you,' the slave tried to move away from Seiji from her place on the floor, to which Seiji narrowed his eyes and snapped at her. 'Get up! Take responsibility for your carelessness, I'll start your punishment myself.' Trembling, the girl got up from the ground and gulped, squeezing her eyes shut, as Seiji raised his hand in preparation to hit her with his full force but as he swung down his hand was easily stopped by a small and pale one. As the lady's hand made contact with his, Seiji felt a wave of energy flow through him which paralysed his whole body completely.

'Please don't do such a thing – it was an accident after all. It would be terrible of a noble to hurt such a pretty girl who didn't do anything wrong, what happened to noblesse oblige?' The lady let go of his hand and moved over to the girl who had warily opened her eyes after she had not been hit, eyes wide open like a deer caught in headlights.

'Are you okay, miss?' The lady smiled gently at her, a warm hand coming to rest on the others cheek, filling the slave with a warmth and gentleness she had never felt before which made her smile hesitantly back.

'Yes, th-thank you for your concern.' The lady nodded and turned back to Seiji.

'I don't know who you think you are, _miss,_' Seiji hissed through clenched teeth. 'But this is _my _house, and I will not let some _woman _tell me what I can and can't do.'

'I'm sorry, Matoba-san,' The woman replied politely. 'But it seems you've had some sort of misunderstanding.'

'Hmm? Misunderstanding?'

'I'm not a woman, I am a man. My name is Natori Takashi.' All Seiji could do was stand there with his eyes and mouth wide open.

'…'

'Erm, Seiji-san. Are you okay?'

'Did-did I just hear right? Y-you're a man?' The woma- err, _man _nodded at Seiji, confused and slightly hurt.

'You know, you don't have to look so shocked,' Takashi looked away, embarrassed and frowning. 'I don't look _that _much like a woman, do I?'

'W-well…,' Seiji took a few calming breaths, still trying to process this information. 'But, if you don't want to be mistaken for a girl, why wear such feminine clothes?'

'Well Natori-san – Natori Shuiichi I mean – told me to wear it, he said it would suit me,' Takashi paused, contemplating this before coming to a realisation. 'That annoying… He probably did this on purpose, no wonder he had such a sly smile on his face when he gave it-'at that moment, Takashi's legs suddenly gave way, luckily Seiji was quick enough to catch him before he fell to the floor. Holding him to his chest, Seiji scanned Takashi's pale and drained face, wiping away small beads of sweat which had formed on his brow.

'Are you okay? You look exhausted,' Seiji's tone was worried, despite the fact that he had convinced himself that he didn't like or care about the youth in his arms. 'What happened all of a sudden?' Takashi's eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first but after blinking a few times he was able to look Seiji in the eye and give him a reassuring smile.

'Y-yeah, I should be okay,' Takashi pushed against the darker haired youth's chest so he could stand up on his own. 'I'm just not good with being out in the sun, I've had frail health since I was a kid so I can't go out unless I have a parasol – I can't believe I forgot such an important thing, I left it in the carriage.' Takashi gave a weak laugh.

'U-um, excuse me, but I was told to bring this to you,' the slave spoke up and in her arms she held a traditional blood-red parasol.

'Ah, thank you. Kitamoto-san, my driver, must have realised I left it behind,' Takashi took a step forward before stumbling, causing him to have to lean on Seiji.

'Steady, are you sure you're okay?' Seiji frowned down at the pale boy.

'Ah, I must look really pathetic right now. Sorry, but I don't think I can walk on my own,' Takashi looked down, embarrassed that someone he'd just met saw him in such a state. Seiji let out a sigh and looked down at Takashi with sceptical eyes.

'Are you really a child prodigy in the world of exorcists? You look too weak to be able to defeat a yokai.' Seiji said bluntly.

'Ahaha, I get that a lot,' Takashi laughed sheepishly. 'But being an exorcist has nothing to do with physical power, but with spiritual power – and it seems I have an abnormal amount of that compared to everyone else.'

'Ah, I see,' Seiji rubbed the back of his neck. 'Well, guess we've got no other choice if you can't walk – I'm going to have to carry you back, then you can rest in the guest room.' Seiji swept the smaller boy up in his arms, carrying him bridal style.

'E-eh!? Ah, Matoba-san, really you don't have to do such a thing! Please put me down!' Takashi protested, but to no avail as Seiji didn't listen to a single one of his pleas.

'Nonsense! If you can't walk, how else are you supposed to get to the house? If we called your driver it would take too much time and I'm not exactly a patient person.' Seiji then smirked down at Takashi. 'And in any case; you're not exactly heavy are you? I may as well be holding a feather for all the burden you're giving me.'

'Aha, that's not something I'm proud of,' Takashi let out a mournful sigh. 'If only I wasn't born with such a feminine face and figure, it's really embarrassing, you know?'

'Hmmm? I don't think it's all that bad, you look much better than any woman I've seen,' Seiji blushed slightly and scowled as he started walking back to the house, motioning with his head for the slave to follow them with the parasol. 'Really, the outrageous things they wear these days that they call 'fashion', and all the makeup they wear to cover up their ugliness doesn't fool anyone!' Takashi let out a giggle. 'What? Did I say something funny?'

'No, it's just that I can't tell whether you were trying to complement me or just having a rant about something completely random.' Seiji let out a small chuckle as well.

'I guess I meant both,' Seiji looked down at the boy, staring at his face for a few moments. 'You really are the most beautiful person I've ever seen.' He muttered with a sigh, not really thinking about what he was saying but just letting his emotions be put into words without censoring them by accident– something he'd never done before. Realising what he had just said, he turned his face away and frowned, internally cursing himself. Takashi stared at him with a slightly open mouth in astonishment, noticing Seiji had done something completely out of character despite only knowing him for less than an hour.

'Thank you, if I was able to get a complement out of you then I guess this appearance isn't all _that _bad,' Takashi smiled, catching Seiji's attention. To Seiji, that smile seemed to be even brighter and warmer than the sun itself, captivating him, making him suddenly unable to breathe. Seiji realised he was rudely staring and tore his eyes away from that radiant face, berating himself once again as a blush crept upon his face. _Damn, why am I acting this way? To a _man _no less, I need to sort myself out instead of acting like some sort of love-struck fool._ 'Matoba-san? Are you feeling okay? Your face is all red and you seem to be spacing out a bit.' Takashi wore a worried expression. _Hmmm, maybe I really am not well and that's why I'm acting this way._

_'_Maybe I'm just feeling tired? I _do _feel a little light headed now that I think about it.'

'Ah, I see. Please get some rest then when we reach your house, I don't want you getting ill on my first day here, otherwise who will entertain me?' Takashi said with a cheeky smile.

'Yes, that certainly _would _be terrible, we can't have our esteemed guest be bored now can we?' Seiji replied sarcastically. 'Doing something like getting ill would be terribly selfish of me, wouldn't it?

'Of course it would!' Takashi let out a chiming laugh. 'What would the poor me do with you stuck in bed?'

At last they arrived at the end of the path and stood outside the manor, Seiji had to squint as the full force of the sun came upon them, the complete opposite of the gentle, dappled sunlight provided by the overhead branches of the path.

'Well, here we are, Natori-sama.' Seiji pulled a face as if he had tasted something vile. 'Ugh, for some reason it makes me sick having to call you by that name, I don't like the idea that you're from the same family as _that _man.' Takashi looked up at Seiji curiously.

'Why? Do you have something against Natori Shuuichi?'

'Well, it's just that I don't like the way that man acts. It feels as if he's trying to fool everyone into thinking he's so wonderful as a way to make them like him just to increase his standing in the court.'

'Ah, yes. He does seem that way when he's talking to nobles, doesn't he? But I guess that's just what's expected from him as the family head – but I do wonder sometimes if he's just having fun by making all the ladies fall in love with him, he _is_ a great actor,' Takashi looked down in though for a few moments as Seiji carried him over to the front of the manor where his driver was waiting for him, it seemed as though the horses had already been put in the stable and his luggage taken to the prepared guest room. 'How about you call me Natsume then?'

'Natsume?' Seiji inquired, slightly confused.

'Yes, that was my name before Natori-san adopted me. Though no one's called me that for a long time I'm still fond of it.'

'Well then, Natsume-sama, welcome to the Matoba household, I hope you enjoy your stay here.' Natsume frowned.

'Drop the 'sama' as well while you're at it, it's not like I'm any better than you or more important.'

'Of course, young master,' Seiji teased, enjoying being able to see the pout that appeared on the graceful blonde's face.

'Cut it out will you! It's extremely embarrassing…'

Seiji almost smiled, never before had he met a member of an important family as modest as this child, it was quite refreshing. Seiji had the feeling that the winds of change were about to blow, but he was unsure how or why.

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Well that's all folks, thank you for reading and see you again soon!


	3. A Ray of Light

Hello everyone! I am so so so sorry for the wait, I'm a failure as a writer. I lost inspiration to write and it's only the third chapter! But I was suddenly on a roll yesterday and today, I'm quite proud I was able to finish it (that's pathetic isn't it?). I don't have a plan at all for where this story is going so I thought everything would be okay if I just made it up as I went along, but that's just wishful thinking on my part, I'll try to be more efficient for the next chapter! But now that I think about it, almost a whole three chapters have been about only one day, I always drag things out I apologise, but despite that I feel that not much has happened. Even at school, if I'm told to write a short story it's impossible for me! (haha). Well anyway I'll stop the ranting here, I'd be extremely grateful if people are still reading this story, and I'm sure more reviews will give me the drive to keep going, thank you to all the kind people who have reviewed so far, love you lots! I'm not bribing you at all, honest! Well please enjoy the story and let me know what you think, I don't know if it's boring or too slow-paced.

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After showing Natsume to his room and reminding him to rest before he received a tour of the estate later in the afternoon, Seiji returned to his own room with the intention of clearing his head with some rest, that failed, however, when the image of Natsume's gently smiling face kept surfacing in his mind every time he closed his eyes. Seiji let out a sigh, realising he was getting nowhere - he needed a new strategy to organise his thoughts and get back in control of his own mind, he couldn't keep acting like this around the guest with his head jumbled up with unnecessary thoughts. Instead of sleeping, Seiji decided to sit at his desk and concentrate on the work his tutor had given him the day before and had neglected thus far; he had been given permission to stop his lessons while he had the pleasure of babysitting the guest.

He found he was able to absorb himself in his work without his mind wandering to other distractions that the new guest had presented him with. After going through the small stack of papers and answering each question with detail and ease, Seiji dropped his pen and stretched his arms above his head, rolling his head from side to side as he released some of the tension that had built up, with a sigh he thought it was about time to check up on Natsume and see if he was ready for the tour yet. Seiji let out a dry laugh.

_So this is the longest I can go without thinking about him is it? What's so special about him anyway? Sure he's not the arrogant, self-centred stuck-up I usually meet, but that's just because he wasn't noble-born. Sure you could say he was… cute – but that's completely besides the point, I've met many good-looking people and have never looked twice, it's complete poppy cock to even think that's a good reason to li- wait, no, I don't even like him, he's just an annoyance whose disturbing me from my own life, a waste of time, a- 'but you don't really think that do you? _A little voice interrupted, cutting off Seiji's track of thought. Seiji sat stunned for a few moments, bewildered about just where that voice had come from, before letting out a sigh. _Perhaps it would be best if I went to see him now, then I can find out how I truly feel about him, instead of arguing with myself like an idiot. _As he headed over to the guest room where Natsume currently resided, he felt his heart beat speed up and a tingling of excitement flowing through his body. _Ah! What's wrong with me!? Am I actually getting excited at the thought of getting to see that brat?_ Seiji took a few deep breaths as he took the last few steps towards his destination and swallowed before knocking on the panel. Two short, sharp knocks.

He listened closely to hear a faint rustling, and then a quiet groan followed by light footsteps which grew louder before a slight pause of silence and then the door was opened. Seiji gazed upon the beautiful youth before him, with his silky light hair and clothes slightly mussed up, his eyes sparkling and alive after yawning gently behind a dainty hand.

'Did you want something, Seiji-san?'

'Huh?' Seiji was once again startled out of a reverie by simply seeing the boy's face. 'Oh, my apologies, did I disturb you from your sleep?'

'Don't worry about it, I had enough to restore my energy and if I were to sleep too long I would have trouble going to sleep tonight,' Natsume smiled up at Seiji slightly, still looking drowsy with his amber eyes half closed.

'I see, well then, if it pleases you I will give you a tour of the property, it would be terrible if you got lost.'

'Yes, I'd appreciate that.'

'Well then, if you're ready, please follow me,' Seiji motioned with his hand for Natsume to leave his room, Natsume complied after straightening out his clothes and rubbing his eyes dry and closed the door behind him.

'Hmm, I guess I'll show you to the baths first, and then we can go to the library…' At every room they visited, Seiji couldn't help but notice the way Natsume's mouth formed a small o as he drank in the luxurious sights around him, how his eyes lit up in the more grand rooms, at the beauty and detail gone into the architecture, the furniture, in the massive crystal chandeliers and the portraits of previous Matoba family heads framed in gold. As they entered the dining room and Natsume danced his fingers across the tops of the antique wooden chairs, Seiji turned around suddenly causing Natsume to collide into his chest, distracted as he was with the magnificence of the room. Natsume took a few steps back, rubbing his now sore nose and staring up at Seiji with accusing eyes, before he could say anything – to complain or question – he was cut off by Seiji in a confused tone. 'Is seeing my house really all that amazing to you? Do you really need to gawk like that after entering every room?'

'Ah, sorry,' Natsume looked down, embarrassed. 'It's just that Natori-san's house is much more traditional and practical, I've never really travelled much to places like this out of the countryside, so it's just a shock to me that someone would spend so much money on their house. I've never seen a building as beautiful as this.'

'Oh, I see. It really is your first time to the city then,' Seiji smirked. 'But if this surprises you, you might have a heart attack when we go to see the palace.'

'The palace? That's where the Lord resides, right?'

'Yes, I'll take you there tomorrow. It would be best for you to take it easy for today, then I can show you around the city all day tomorrow, it'll probably take that long to see all the main tourist spots.'

'Ah, I can't wait! The city sounds so much fun, I bet it's full of interesting things, I wonder what the people will be like? I hope it won't be too hot, but everything will be so pretty that I won't mind,' Natsume giggled and Seiji smiled at the way his excitement seemed to overflow out of his eyes, making them sparkle with life. _This guy's completely unguarded, how can he be so open in front of someone he just met? Shouldn't it be much more logical for him to be wary of me and hide his emotions?_ A thought then came to Seiji's head, _maybe this is a test, by acting like this he is trying to get my guard down and see what kind of person I truly am under the coldly polite façade I've put up, which, now that I think about it, he's broken down so many times already, or is he trying to get the upper hand somehow? Perhaps he plans to get close to me and then use me to achieve some kind of goal, in any case, I shouldn't let my guard down no matter what, if he truly is a part of the Natori clan then it is no surprise he would be devious and scheming, wrapping people round his little finger - like that fox, Natori Shuuichi._

'I wonder what I should buy, Natori-san gave me some money so I'll have to get souvenirs for everyone. Let's see I should get some sake for sensei, hmm, what else?' Natsume continued talking to himself in a world of his own, forgetting the presence of Seiji in front of him. Seiji frowned and cleared his throat causing Natsume to jump with wide eyes. 'Ah, I'm extremely sorry – I have a bad habit of getting caught up in my thoughts,' He laughed sheepishly. 'I guess I got a bit too excited, that's really childish, right? To you it may seem a bit silly since you've lived here all your life.' Seiji observed him from the corner of his eye for a moment and sighed, _I guess I might as well play along for the time being_.

'No, it's understandable. To someone living in the countryside all their life, to suddenly come to such a big and busy city it's understandable they'd be excited. Sometimes there are moments when I too get awed by the magnificence of the city, it's just that extravagant.'

'Haha, if you say that I'll just get even more excited – tomorrow's going to be so much fun, I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight!'

'Ha! You'd better sleep, if you fall asleep on me tomorrow while I'm acting as your guide, especially after taking so much of my time and effort, make sure you're ready for a punishment you won't forget.' There was a dark warning in Seiji's voice, his eyes sharp and narrowed and looking straight into Natsume's bright eyes to let him know he was being deadly serious. Natsume's eyes widened slightly and he couldn't quite stop himself from shivering.

'Wah, Seiji-san can be quite scary, I'll make sure not to make an enemy of you,' Natsume softly laughed at himself. 'But if you scare me too much, I won't be able to sleep tonight – I might get nightmares because of you.'

'Don't tell me I have to read you a bed time story and hold your hand until you fall asleep,' Seiji grumbled, well-practised sarcasm lacing his voice, Natsume smiled with a raised eyebrow at that.

'Well, if you're offering I suppose I wouldn't mind too greatly,' Natsume laughed again as he saw the look on Seiji's face, his scowl had deepened even further, his lips drawn into a tight line, the edges curling downwards to express his utmost displeasure. 'Don't worry, I was just joking! You're too serious Seiji-san, you need to lighten up a bit! Laugh and smile more!' Natsume stopped in thought for a few seconds, peering up at Seiji's face with a slight frown that didn't entirely suit him, tapping a slender finger against his chin. 'Actually, I don't think I've seen you smile at all since I arrived here, do you not smile Seiji-san?'

'Hah, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I've heard someone say that to me. But isn't it much stranger to be smiling and happy all the time like you are? Being like this is quite normal and it suits me perfectly, having to be happy all the time just to please people seems much too much effort,' Seiji gazed down at Natsume with an unreadable expression. 'Wouldn't you agree, Natsume-san?'

'I guess it depends on your view of things,' Natsume contemplated the dark youth in front of him once again then closed his eyes with a slight smile on his face and turned around, taking a few steps away from Seiji. 'Don't get me wrong though, Seiji-san, I'm not the pampered brat you think me to be, and I certainly don't mean to deceive anyone – I don't like playing such games, they bore me and I believe them to be idiotic – I don't smile for other people's sakes, but for my own,' Natsume swirled round to face Seiji. 'Isn't that how it's supposed to be?' Seiji's eyes widened, surprised at the bluntness of his words and how straight to the point he was. _Perhaps I misjudged him; he isn't playing any games after all. Something like using me for an ulterior motive, he doesn't think such things at all!_ Seiji smiled then, and straightened up; feeling like a heavy burden had been removed from his shoulders and his mind had suddenly cleared from doubts and over-thinking.

'You haven't seized to amaze all day, you know that? To say exactly what you're thinking without holding back, to not care how others think of you and acting only how you want to act – you're really an incredible person, I've never met anyone like you before.'

'Hahaha! I'm also told that a lot! It really makes life a lot easier if you look at everything clearly without any misconceptions, without having to deceive or meet the expectations of others, but just being yourself. It's sad that so many people don't realise this,' Natsume beamed up at Seiji. 'But I finally got to see you with a smile on your face, I'm happy! I think, it would be nice to see it even more, to see you happy. Perhaps, tomorrow I can even make you laugh properly. Being happy… is such a nice thing, don't you agree?' Seiji stared at Natsume's face for a while, he still hadn't gotten used to seeing such a bright presence, perhaps, just perhaps, this blinding light could even penetrate the darkness that had surrounded him in a cold embrace for so many years. _Well, that's a nice thought, even if it's just wishful thinking. _But despite that, something about the ever-smiling boy in front of him caused a ray of hope to enter Seiji, warming up his frozen heart ever so slightly, allowing him to smile for the first time in years.

'Yes. Yes, happiness does sound like a wonderful thing,' Seiji smiled deeper at the boy, something bitter-sweet in his voice. 'But it's up to you to prove something as dream-like as that is real.'

'Don't worry, I'll definitely make you happy Seiji, I promise,' Natsume's expression had turned serious, determined. 'Even if it's the last thing I do, I'll save you from the sadness and hatred that's trapped you.' Seiji looked shocked at the resolution Natsume had made, at the sureness in his voice.

'Why?' Was all Seiji could whisper.

'Because,' Natsume's bright smile had returned in full force. 'I've decided to be friends with you, and I never let my friends stay in pain. Never.' Seiji felt the single ray of warmth in his chest strengthen ten-fold, _friends, _the first time in his life he had heard that word uttered to him.

_Friends._

Just that single word made Seiji feel overwhelmed with emotion, made him feel like bursting. And Seiji couldn't help but believe it was true, that they could be friends.


End file.
